Process Addictions
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What Are Process Addictions?
Process addiction disorders are extreme or compulsive forms of a behavior that an individual is unable or is unwilling to stop despite the legal, financial, family, or other consequences.
Activities that fall into process addictions are ones that people engage in every day, such as shopping, gambling, exercise, eating, or sex. These non-substance related activities can cause individuals to struggle with the mental or physical health issues that arise because of their inability to stop without treatment.
The inability to stop arises from reward sensors in the brain that receive a small dose of dopamine, a naturally created pleasure chemical, when an activity occurs like buying something online, gambling, receiving an in-game reward, or eating something delicious. Over time, the brain’s dopamine receptors can become accustomed to higher levels of dopamine and build up a tolerance to it. The brain then becomes dependent (or addicted) to receiving dopamine which causes a behavior addiction to occur for specific activities. Some of these activities include watching pornography, exercising excessively, playing video games, using a smartphone, browsing social media, and using other technology (e.g., computer, tablet).
Some core treatment components include:
- Motivational Enhancement Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy
- Metabolic Fitness Groups
- Expressive Arts
- Recovery Meetings and Groups
- Family Programming and Education
- Relapse Prevention Groups
A residential treatment environment is advantageous to those with Process Addictions, because they are able to enter into an initial detox phase with the clinical and behavioral support of highly trained staff members. Official detox centers aren’t available for Process Addictions, so this level of care is critical for the individual to build a foundation for long-term recovery.
Strong family programming is another critical component of treatment that is unique to Lifeskills South Florida. This programming enables family members to become better educated about the disorder and learn the skills needed to help their loved one post-treatment along with the learning more about the signs of a potential relapse. If the patient is willing, the family can also become involved in their treatment during their stay as well, building skills together that improve their recovery opportunities long-term.
Treatment for Process Addictions
At Lifeskills, we treat process addictions using our dedicated Substance Use Disorder Pathway that includes:
A residential treatment environment is advantageous to those with process addictions because they can enter an initial detox phase with the clinical and behavioral support of highly trained staff members. Official detox centers aren’t available for process addictions, so this level of care is critical for the individual to build a foundation for long-term recovery.
Strong family programming is another critical component of treatment that is unique to Lifeskills South Florida. Our Family Support Program enables family members to become better educated about the disorder and learn the skills needed to help their loved one post-treatment along with the learning more about the signs of a potential relapse. If the patient is willing, the family can also become involved in their treatment during their stay, building skills together that improve their recovery opportunities long-term.
Interested in learning more about Lifeskills treatment for process addictions?
Call us at 866.321.9430 or fill out our contact form.
